LocationsSaving Nature, Saving Ourselves: How UNDP is helping to preserve Ukraine’s rich biodiversity
November 20, 2025
Pollinating insects are an important part of the planet’s biodiversity.
Although Ukraine covers less than 6% of Europe's landmass, it is home to around 35% of the continent’s biodiversity. However, over the past 20 years, the number of animal species listed in Ukraine’s Red Book of endangered species has increased by 55%, while the number of plant species has risen by 63%. This alarming trend demands urgent action, which is why Ukraine is developing the National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy for the next decade, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Global biodiversity hotspots
All species on our planet exist within specific ecosystems, which themselves contribute to overall biodiversity. However, species richness is not evenly distributed; some ecosystems are far more diverse than others.
Scientists measure biodiversity by counting the total number of species within a given area. The closer to the equator an area is, the greater its biodiversity – a phenomenon known as the latitudinal diversity gradient.
Areas with high concentrations of unique (endemic) species under severe threat from habitat loss are known as “biodiversity hotspots” – a term coined by British ecologist and biologist Norman Myers.
In the 2000s, the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), which was established in collaboration with the World Bank, the French Development Agency, and Conservation International, identified and described 36 biodiversity hotspots.
According to Conservation International, these hotspots occupy just 2.5% of the Earth’s surface, yet they are home to over half of the world’s endemic plant species, as well as nearly 43% of endemic birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), in turn, uses the concept of ecoregions, which involves dividing the Earth into areas with similar ecosystems and biodiversity.
The WWF has identified 238 ecoregions as being of the highest importance for biodiversity conservation. Of these, 142 are terrestrial, 53 freshwater, and 43 marine. These ecoregions form the basis of the WWF's global conservation efforts.
Regions that are particularly rich in biodiversity include South America (notably the Amazon Basin), Central America and the Caribbean, parts of Africa (the Congo Basin, Ethiopia, and Somalia), Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, and other Southeast Asian countries.
The unique Synevyr Lake and the surrounding forests are valuable ecosystems for biodiversity conservation in Ukraine.
In Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and the Caucasus are key areas, and Ukraine is included in this “hotspot” list as part of the Mediterranean region (the Black Sea coast). Within Ukraine, important biodiversity areas include the Carpathian Mountains, the Crimean Mountains, the Danube Delta, the southern and eastern steppes, and the Polissia wetlands.
Sadly, the steppe zone, which has already been affected by agriculture, has suffered greatly from the war, and Crimea’s coasts and mountains are currently occupied.
The plant Pulsatilla latifolia is listed in the Red Book of Ukraine and in the appendix to the Bern Convention.
International efforts to save wildlife
For decades, humanity has been seeking ways to prevent catastrophic biodiversity loss. In recent years, various international agreements have been adopted to protect wildlife.
One of these is the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), an international treaty adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ukraine has been a party to the Convention since 1994, and has declared its aims to conserve biological diversity, ensure its sustainable use, and promote the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from it.
At the Conference of the Parties to the CBD in Nagoya, Japan, in 2010, the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 was adopted as a roadmap for all participating countries.
Unfortunately, humanity has fallen short of its goals. The targets of that plan were not fully achieved due to insufficient funding, weak legal and institutional frameworks, and growing global threats.
Still, the international community is learning from these shortcomings and reacting: On 19 December 2022, in Montreal, Canada, the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was adopted.
This framework sets more specific and measurable targets, calls for their integration into national policies, strengthens international coordination and reporting, and addresses global-scale threats such as climate change.
The Kunming–Montreal Framework sets out a global action plan for conserving, restoring, and sustainably using biodiversity by 2030. It sets out four strategic goals and 23 operational targets for the participating countries to implement.
Drones provided by UNDP are successfully being used to monitor wildlife in the Nobelskyi National Nature Park.
UNDP’s role in developing Ukraine’s biodiversity strategy
Ukraine has endorsed the Convention on Biological Diversity and committed to the goals and targets of the Kunming–Montreal Framework.
These include protecting 30% of land and sea areas, reducing pollution, halting biodiversity loss from agriculture and forestry, restoring ecosystems, expanding protected area networks, preventing species extinction, minimising the impact of climate change, and promoting environmentally friendly farming practices.
Tetiana Tevkun at the Mezhyhirya state park-monument during the “ParkFest: Where Nature Speaks” festival, which was organized with the support of UNDP. Photo: UNDP Ukraine
Tetiana Tevkun, head of the Environment Portfolio at UNDP Ukraine, says that all countries that are parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity must create or update their national biodiversity strategies. “The first such documents appeared in the EU after the convention was adopted, and some states began developing their own strategies following the Nagoya decision of 2010 and the 2011–2020 biodiversity plan,” Tevkun explains.
“Ukraine is in the third wave of national strategy preparation, which was launched after the Kunming–Montreal Framework in 2022. By signing up to these global agreements, Ukraine has made significant commitments, but it has also gained valuable opportunities, including access to international cooperation and financing.”
With financial support from UNDP under the “Support to Early Action on the Global Biodiversity Framework” project, Ukraine is developing its National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy up to 2035. The document is being drafted by government officials, scientists, and experts from various fields, and will align Ukraine's objectives with those of the Kunming–Montreal Framework.
Work on the strategy is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, after which it will be submitted to the Ukrainian government for approval. The future of Ukraine’s wildlife depends on effectively implementing the practical measures outlined in the strategy.
Path to sustainable recovery
Ukraine’s deputy minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture, Ihor Zubovych, says developing the National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy is also a crucial step for Ukraine on its path towards recovery and sustainable development.
Ukraine’s deputy minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture, Ihor Zubovych. Photo: Press Service of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture
“Preserving natural resources will strengthen our economic resilience and ensure a safe future for our citizens,” Zubovych says. “Together with UNDP, we’re working on a document that will balance the state’s environmental priorities with the needs of the economy and business, particularly in the agricultural sector. It’s equally important that this balance reflects community interests.”
“We’re also addressing the environmental risks caused by war, such as damage to territories, loss of genetic resources, and ecosystem degradation. Restoring ecosystems affected by hostilities must become an integral part of Ukraine’s post-war recovery.”
Author: Lesia Moskalenko for UNDP
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